Beloved is written as if it was two different stories. It is divided into the present and the past. These two locations in time have completely different settings.
Setting: "The general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which the action of a fictional or dramatic work occurs; the setting of an episode or scene within a work is the particular physical location in which it takes place." (http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_S.html)
Past
The past in Beloved is mainly set in Kentucky on a farm called Sweet Home. The farm is owned by slave owner Mr. Garner and is also the home of six slaves, including Sethe, the main character, Paul D., another major character, and Halle, Sethe's husband. Sweet Home is the farm where they all live and work.
Sweet Home is influenced by nature a lot, because Toni Morrison uses a lot of nature imagery when she is describing the farm. She talks about the tree under which the slaves rest and get shade. Then she mentions the corn field, which is where Halle and Sethe have sex, which they think is a secret, but in fact, all the other slaves are watching the corn stalks sway from side to side and are perfectly aware of what is happening. Another significant thing about the setting of Sweet Home is the farm animals, especially the rooster called Mister. Mister is proud of himself and he does nothing but watch the slaves work all day, which makes Paul D. feel hatred towards the rooster, because it gives the impression that it is better than him, that it has more freedom than Paul D. Finally, Toni Morrison mentions a river which is boardering the farm. It is the river the slaves cross when they attempt to flee.
The description of the farm is very peaceful and it gives the reader a sense of security, since the slaves are very free because Mr. Garner does not disallow them to do many things. He gives them more freedom than other slave owners in America would and he allows Halle to buy out his mother, Baby Suggs. Also, because there are so few slaves on the farm and the farm is a relatively small place, it gives a sense of a small, but strong community, which also adds to the sense of security that the reader gets when reading about Sweet Home. However, when Mr. Garner dies and Schoolteacher takes over the farm, this impression fades away, because Schoolteacher is very unkind and not like Mr. Garner at all. He punishes the slaves and makes them wear metal bits of they do not behave. The natural images are still present at the farm, however, it does not give the sense of security that it did when Mr. Garner was alive. Now, Sweet Home has changed from a small, peaceful community to a place where someone would not want to be. It has been turned into a place where no one would want to be and none of the slaves likes it anymore. When Schoolteacher took over the farm, he sold many of the slaves, including Paul D. By selling the slaves, he is splitting up the community that existed on the farm under Mr. Garner. He replaces the slaves and makes the farm into an actual slave farm, like most slave owners would want it. This change gives the reader a sense of insecurity, since something very nice has now been changed into a place where no one would want to go.
The other major location that is described in the past is the same as the present, Cincinatti. The house where Sethe lives in in the present, is described in the past as well. However, that is when Baby Suggs is still alive. This part of the past is influenced a lot by the community and unity of Cincinatti. This is because Baby Suggs is a central character in the community, since she preaches at the clearing and she is well known to everyone. The fact that Baby Suggs is loved throughout the town, makes the reader like the setting, because it gives a sense of joy and happiness. This setting is extremely important to the story, because it helps the reader see the contrast in the atmosphere of the house before compared to after the death of Baby Suggs.
Present
The present in Beloved is set in Cincinatti, Ohio, in 1873. This is right after the civil war ended in the United States. More accurately, the majority of the story that goes on in the present is set in the house on Bluestone Road number 124. This is Sethe's house where she lives with her daughter Denver and, later on, Paul D moves in. This house used to be a half-way home where African-Americans would come and go as they passed the house and where they would leave notes for other people. It is also the same house as is described above under Past. The same house which belonged to Baby Suggs.
The house is located away from the other houses of Cincinatti. This is important to the way the reader interprets the story, because it adds to the effect of the darkness of the character of Beloved. If the house had been located in the middle of the town and had people visit all the time, then the novel would be less effective in the mysterious tone that Morrison gives throughout the present in the story.
Setting: "The general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which the action of a fictional or dramatic work occurs; the setting of an episode or scene within a work is the particular physical location in which it takes place." (http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_S.html)
Past
The past in Beloved is mainly set in Kentucky on a farm called Sweet Home. The farm is owned by slave owner Mr. Garner and is also the home of six slaves, including Sethe, the main character, Paul D., another major character, and Halle, Sethe's husband. Sweet Home is the farm where they all live and work.
Sweet Home is influenced by nature a lot, because Toni Morrison uses a lot of nature imagery when she is describing the farm. She talks about the tree under which the slaves rest and get shade. Then she mentions the corn field, which is where Halle and Sethe have sex, which they think is a secret, but in fact, all the other slaves are watching the corn stalks sway from side to side and are perfectly aware of what is happening. Another significant thing about the setting of Sweet Home is the farm animals, especially the rooster called Mister. Mister is proud of himself and he does nothing but watch the slaves work all day, which makes Paul D. feel hatred towards the rooster, because it gives the impression that it is better than him, that it has more freedom than Paul D. Finally, Toni Morrison mentions a river which is boardering the farm. It is the river the slaves cross when they attempt to flee.
The description of the farm is very peaceful and it gives the reader a sense of security, since the slaves are very free because Mr. Garner does not disallow them to do many things. He gives them more freedom than other slave owners in America would and he allows Halle to buy out his mother, Baby Suggs. Also, because there are so few slaves on the farm and the farm is a relatively small place, it gives a sense of a small, but strong community, which also adds to the sense of security that the reader gets when reading about Sweet Home. However, when Mr. Garner dies and Schoolteacher takes over the farm, this impression fades away, because Schoolteacher is very unkind and not like Mr. Garner at all. He punishes the slaves and makes them wear metal bits of they do not behave. The natural images are still present at the farm, however, it does not give the sense of security that it did when Mr. Garner was alive. Now, Sweet Home has changed from a small, peaceful community to a place where someone would not want to be. It has been turned into a place where no one would want to be and none of the slaves likes it anymore. When Schoolteacher took over the farm, he sold many of the slaves, including Paul D. By selling the slaves, he is splitting up the community that existed on the farm under Mr. Garner. He replaces the slaves and makes the farm into an actual slave farm, like most slave owners would want it. This change gives the reader a sense of insecurity, since something very nice has now been changed into a place where no one would want to go.
The other major location that is described in the past is the same as the present, Cincinatti. The house where Sethe lives in in the present, is described in the past as well. However, that is when Baby Suggs is still alive. This part of the past is influenced a lot by the community and unity of Cincinatti. This is because Baby Suggs is a central character in the community, since she preaches at the clearing and she is well known to everyone. The fact that Baby Suggs is loved throughout the town, makes the reader like the setting, because it gives a sense of joy and happiness. This setting is extremely important to the story, because it helps the reader see the contrast in the atmosphere of the house before compared to after the death of Baby Suggs.
Present
The present in Beloved is set in Cincinatti, Ohio, in 1873. This is right after the civil war ended in the United States. More accurately, the majority of the story that goes on in the present is set in the house on Bluestone Road number 124. This is Sethe's house where she lives with her daughter Denver and, later on, Paul D moves in. This house used to be a half-way home where African-Americans would come and go as they passed the house and where they would leave notes for other people. It is also the same house as is described above under Past. The same house which belonged to Baby Suggs.
The house is located away from the other houses of Cincinatti. This is important to the way the reader interprets the story, because it adds to the effect of the darkness of the character of Beloved. If the house had been located in the middle of the town and had people visit all the time, then the novel would be less effective in the mysterious tone that Morrison gives throughout the present in the story.